(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvements in constant velocity universal joints used in motor vehicles.
(b) Prior Art
In joints of conventional construction, an outer member and an inner member are coupled through a cage member having inner and outer spherical surfaces which are respectively in contact with an outer spherical surface of the inner member and an inner spherical surface of the outer member. The cage member supports a number of balls mounted in respective windows, and these balls engage in respective pairs of ball grooves formed in the inner and outer spherical surfaces of the outer and inner members respectively.
To give the joint a constant velocity characteristic, the respective ball grooves are formed so that they are offset, i.e. respective bottom surfaces of the groove extend substantially along circular arcs whose centers are offset from one another at equal distances on opposite sides of the center of the joint.